Editorial: No giving up on 61 acres

Thursday, July 15, 2004 | 8:44 a.m.

In 2000, during his first year in office, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman led the way as the city exchanged $2 million and its 97-acre technology park in the northwest for 61 acres of open land in the downtown area. Goodman set his sights high for what he called the "best piece of urban real estate in the world." He laid out a vision for the acreage that, if realized, would transform it into an "urban village" featuring housing and nongaming developments that would boost cultural offerings and diversify the economy. He marketed the site and sought proposals -- but always with the caveat that they be "really special."

After more than four years of earnest effort, though, the 61 acres is still open. No plans for its development have been adopted -- although many were floated -- and no master developer has been chosen. Through all of the disappointment, Goodman has kept his sights high, which we find admirable.

The latest disappointment came Tuesday when the Cleveland Clinic Foundation -- respected around the world for the quality of its medical care, research and physician training -- finally said no to Goodman. The mayor had been wooing the clinic for two years, envisioning a satellite facility large enough to anchor the 61 acres. Clinic officials came here and Goodman went to Cleveland. A March 2003 report in the New York Times that the clinic had taken a $500 million beating in the stock market did not dislodge a sense of optimism. In December the city and the clinic agreed to split the cost of a consultant, who would determine the feasibility of Goodman's vision.

But a Tuesday phone call between Goodman and the clinic brought all the talk and hope to an end. Clinic officials told Goodman that by building a campus here they would risk spreading themselves too thin. This was bitter news, but Goodman straight away announced that he was not giving up on an academic medical center and that his vision for the 61 acres remains intact. He said the city will renew its search for a master developer and that one is expected to be hired by this fall.

We respect Goodman for setting a high standard for the 61 acres and remaining devoted to his vision despite setbacks. There will likely be more disappointments in the months ahead. But they will pass. The disappointment of an ordinary development would never pass.